Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand 
why the old poets of China went so far
and high 
into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver



The UP Asian Center invites everyone to the second webinar of the series, “Saving Gaza, Fighting for Peace: Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict," which will be held via Zoom on 9 July 2021, 3:00 pm—6:00 pm, Philippine Standard Time (GMT + 8). The event is free and open to the public, but participants are required to sign in using an authenticated Zoom account.

Life Under Occupation: An Autoethnography of a West Bank Experience

 Abstract
This autoethnographic analysis highlights my three-month experience in the West Bank under EAPPI Program-World Council of Churches. Data were analyzed using a combination of my own experience, eyewitness account, local narrative and postcolonial reflection on the present struggles and plight of the indigenous Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
Speaker
Hadje Cresencio Sadje is an associate member of the SOAS Center for Palestine Studies, University of London, UK. Mr. Sadje obtained his MA in Crosscultural Theology at the Protestant Theological University,
The Netherlands, and MA in Ecumenical Studies (specializing in Sociology of Religion) at the University of Bonn. He is a visiting Ph.D. research fellow at the University of Vienna, Austria, a student ambassador at the Paris Institute of Critical Thinking, and a visiting lecturer at the Divinity School Silliman University Philippines.
 Currently, he is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Hamburg Germany. In the world of practice, his notable works are in association with the Christian Peacemaker Team Greece, Caritas Brussels, World Student Christian Movement-Europe (WSCM-Europe), EAPPI-World Council of Churches (WCC), PeaceBuilders Community Philippines, and Pananaw Pinoy. While in academe, he researches and teaches at the Barcelona Applied Social Sciences Spain and the Foundation Academy in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Mr. Sadje’s research interests include decoloniality, global politics and world religions, sociology of religion, philosophical theologies, postcolonial theologies, and political/public theologies.

Israel’s Long-Term View on Palestine—Does It Exist?

Abstract/Talking Points
What do Israel’s actions vis-à-vis Palestinians indicate about Israel’s intentions? What is the meaning of the Apartheid assessments from various human rights organizations? Will there be accountability?
Speaker
Jonathan Ofir is a regular contributor on Israel-Palestine matters to Mondoweiss.net. He is a Jewish-Israeli citizen residing in Denmark. He is also a professional violinist and conductor.

Webinar Guidelines

Registration
      • When registering for the webinar, use the same email address that you use for your Zoom account.

      • If your registration is successful, you will receive your link to join the webinar. Please keep it but do not share it with anyone else; it is tied to your own Zoom account. You will also receive a confirmation email containing the link to join the webinar. It is the "Click Here to Join." Take note of the URL and the passcode in case you have to encode it.
      • Attendance is first-come, first-served. The webinar can only accommodate 1000.

Webinar Proper
      • For a smooth entry to the webinar, log in first to your Zoom account before clicking the invitation/join link.
      • Please type questions only at the Q&A window. You may choose to remain anonymous. Some questions will be read out and answered live. The speakers may wish to respond to the Q&A via chat.
      • The host(s) reserves the right to remove participants who send rude, inappropriate questions or messages.

About the Webinar Series

Popular discourses surrounding the current armed conflict between Israel and Palestine often present poorly contextualized and imbalanced information. This series aims to present in-depth analyses of the current situation from experts and draws voices from the different sides of the conflict. It also seeks to answer: What are the long-term implications of the current conflict in the security situation in the Middle East? The first installment of the webinar featured Professor Arie Kacowicz and his lecture,  "The Failure of Conflict Management and the Future of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The aftermath of the 4th Israel-Hamas War," which was held on 26 May 2021. 

The UP Asian Center offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D.  program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. The Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded at the journal's website. For other news and upcoming events at the Asian Center, click here